WITH vast experience of having run a wide array of successful businesses in Poland, when Jan and Ela Szczuka moved to North Wales more than a decade ago, they brought with them some of the country’s most beloved dishes, too.
At Inglenook Café in Llandudno, not only are guests welcome to bring their dogs, they can enjoy the best of Polish cuisine – including Bigos (stew), Kotlet Schabowy (pork chop) and pan-fried Schnitzel.
It’s not exclusively Polish food, though, with a range of cooked breakfasts, home-made lunches, main courses and desserts also on offer.
Phil Bayley Hughes, Jan and Ela’s son-in-law, said: “They came across (to North Wales) because their daughters came across first, so they could all be together again.
“When they were in Poland, they had pet shops, launderettes, things like that.
“They moved over to the UK and first opened a shop selling things like vases and flowers, before deciding they wanted to go into the restaurant business here. They spent quite a bit of money renovating the place.
“We are dog-friendly, and always love to meet our four-legged friends.”
Their proudest moment of running the business, though, remains the way that the café has enabled Llandudno residents to immerse themselves in Polish cooking.
Indeed, despite the great number of perhaps more familiar choices, it is some of the dishes from Jan and Ela’s homeland which rank among the café’s top sellers.
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Phil added: “They’ve always wanted to have some sort of Polish part to it, and they’ve actually been quite popular – we’ve even had people email to ask if they could buy some Pierogi (filled dumplings) as a Christmas gift.
“It’s a small little tasting menu of Poland, basically. They do a lot of breakfasts, but there’s a little bit of Poland in the mix, as well.
“While our all-day breakfasts are popular with our customers, our proudest achievement has been introducing people to some Polish cuisine.
“Our homemade Bigos, (or Hunter’s Stew), is the Polish national dish and is made with several kinds of meat, cabbage, sauerkraut and mushrooms. It is one of the best-sellers.
“We pride ourselves on our home cooking.”
Inglenook Café, 2A Vaughan Street, Llandudno, LL30 1AB.
For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/inglenookcafe.
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